Sony hot on Xbox 360's heels with 80M PS3 shipments

Sony's PlayStation 3 is just about as popular as Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Sony announced on Wednesday that it has shipped 80 million PlayStation 3 units worldwide. The news comes just a few weeks after Microsoft announced the same milestone for its Xbox 360.

Sony's console, which launched in 2006, took roughly seven years to reach the mark. The Xbox 360 launched in late 2005 and hit the milestone in eight years.

Regardless, Sony and Microsoft are now looking ahead. Both companies are planning to launch new consoles later this month. The PlayStation 4 will hit US store shelves on November 15. The Xbox One will be available on November 22.